Pop Culture Safari!

Lost preview April 25 episode

Click here for a preview of tonight's new episode. Then come back here tomorrow for a full roundup of clues and observations.

Also see:
The Best "Lost" Sites on the Web.
"Lost": What we STILL don't know
Lost Season 3 Episode Guide

DVD: Gunsmoke season 1

After a few box set collections, this classic TV (and radio before that) Western finally gets the season-by-season treatment.

This first installment, on six disks, is out July 17 and available for pre-order for $26.99 from Amazon.

The show's first season aired during the 1955-56 TV season and includes 39 episodes. The first show is introduced by actor John Wayne. Guest stars include John Carridine, Robert Vaughn, Charles Bronson, Chuck Connors and future TV produce Aaron Spelling.

DVD: Space Ghost and Dino Boy: The Complete Series, Birdman and the Galaxy Trio: The Complete Series

Finally the real versions of these two great Hanna-Barbera supertoons. Click the links to pre-order either set for $20.19 from Amazon:

Space Ghost and Dino Boy Complete Series

Birdman and the Galaxy Trio Complete Series

Info:
Two Hanna-Barbera animated classics are flying onto shelves this summer as Warner Home Video presents Space Ghost and Dino Boy: The Complete Series and Birdman and the Galaxy Trio: The Complete Series, each on 2-disc collectors sets featuring the episodes in the three-segment form as they originally aired along with plenty of great new extras. Space Ghost and Dino Boy: The Complete Series and Birdman and the Galaxy Trio: The Complete Series come to DVD July 17.

The retro hit Space Ghost and Dino Boy: The Complete Series soars through space and time to deliver justice! First, intergalactic policeman Space Ghost navigates the cosmos in his tricked-out spaceship, The Phantom Cruiser, battling villains like Brak and Zorak with his legendary suit and powerful wristbands. Then, Dino Boy teams with caveman Ugh and dinosaur Bronty to go primeval on the ancient menaces of their primitive home. And finally, Space Ghost flies again with more extraterrestrial adventures and thrilling takedowns. This dynamite compilation also features the dynamic six-part Space Ghost episode, The Council of Doom. It's cosmic entertainment for all!

Space Ghost and Dino Boy: The Complete Series features 24 Space Ghost episodes including The Heat King, Zorak, The Sandman, The Cyclopeds, Space Sargasso, The Gargoyloids, and more! The DVD set also features 18 Dino Boy episodes including The Worm People, The Sacrifice, The Terrible Chase, The Mighty Snow Creature, and many more! The feature-length, exclusive enhanced content "Simplicity: The Life and Art of Alex Toth" takes you on a journey of a master cartoonist, who as an illustrator is remembered for his prolific work in comics and animation, and who as a person is remembered as the brash, often brutal, yet funny intellectual who transformed the cartoon world with his distinct touch as auteur. This documentary looks at the legacy of his genius, and pins down for us a solidarity of what life was like for this most revered of artists.

Birdman and the Galaxy Trio: The Complete Series takes the action around the world and into outer space! First, winged hero Birdman harnesses the power of the sun to fight criminal masterminds like Number One, Vulturo and Dr. Millenium. Then, cosmic crusaders Gravity Girl, Vapor Man and Meteor Man - better known as the Galaxy Trio - serve up justice in space as they travel the universe eradicating evil and procuring peace across the cosmos. And finally, it's more Birdman with his trusty eagle Avenger and his namesake battle cry that strikes fear into the hearts of his enemies. Fly away with these favorite retro heroes as they deliver old-school justice in this 2-disc collector's dream compilation.

Birdman and the Galaxy Trio: The Complete Series collection includes twenty 23 minute episodes on 2 two-sided discs, including X The Eliminator, The Ruthless Ringmaster, Galaxy Trio and the Sleeping Planet, Birdman Meets Reducto, Birdman and the Monster of the Mountains, Galaxy Trio Versus Growliath, The Return of Vulturo, and more! The enhanced content "Birdman: The Forgotten Hero" covers the inspiration from the early days of Birdman, as a superhero fighting injustice, up to his new assignment as a legal counsel. Featured will be a historical retrospective on what legendary cartoonist Alex Toth brought to the original series.

Comics shipping April 25, 2007

See complete lists:
DC Archives
DC Showcase
DC Trade Paperbacks
Marvel Masterworks
Marvel Essentials
Marvel Trade Paperbacks
Upcoming Trade Paperbacks - Graphic Novels

Comics shipping April 25, 2007

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Amazon
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Pop Artifact! Captain Marvel paper flying toys

Vintage Marvel Comics house ad

Best Marvel Comics Sites.

Pop Culture Roundup April 24, 2007

Kryptonite discovered in Serbian mine!

Kryptonite, the substance that drains Superman’s powers in the comic book series and movies, has been discovered in real life in a Serbian mine – at least a mineral that matches the formula of kryptonite as described in the film Superman Returns has been found there.

Best Superman Sites.

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Did "Heroes" swipe the climax of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' "Watchmen" comics series?

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Season three of "Doctor Who" is coming to the Sci Fi Channel this July.

According to the press release:

The series will debut on SCI FI in July 2007, kicking off with the Doctor Who Christmas Special: The Runaway Bride, guest-starring award-winning comedy actress Catherine Tate.

In season three, David Tennant returns to his role as the mysterious, time-traveling Doctor. American audiences will meet the Doctor's brand-new sidekick, Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman), in the first official episode of the season, "Smith and Jones."

Chris Regina, Vice President of Programming, SCI FI Channel, said 'Doctor Who' has become a favorite among SCI FI audiences. We are happy to bring the show back for its third season and look forward to following the Doctor's continuing adventures with his newest companion."

Best Doctor Who Sites.

Lost May 9 episode preview

Highlight the hidden text for spoilers:

BEN BEGRUDGINGLY BEGINS TO INTRODUCE LOCKE TO THE SECRETS
OF THE ISLAND -- BEGINNING WITH THE MYSTERIOUS JACOB --
AND JULIET'S SECRET GOES PUBLIC, ON ABC'S "LOST"

"The Man Behind the Curtain" - Ben begrudgingly begins to introduce Locke to the secrets of the island, beginning with the mysterious Jacob. Meanwhile, Juliet's secret goes public, on "Lost," WEDNESDAY, MAY 9 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network.

"Lost" stars Naveen Andrews as Sayid, Henry Ian Cusick as Desmond, Emilie de Ravin as Claire, Michael Emerson as Ben, Matthew Fox as Jack, Jorge Garcia as Hurley, Josh Holloway as Sawyer, Daniel Dae Kim as Jin, Yunjin Kim as Sun, Evangeline Lilly as Kate, Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet, Dominic Monaghan as Charlie and Terry O'Quinn as Locke.

Guest starring are M.C. Gainey as Mr. Friendly/Tom, Tania Raymonde as Alex, Andrew Divoff as Mikhail, Nestor Carbonell as Richard Alpert, Marsha Thomason as Naomi, Sterling Beaumon as young Ben, Jon Gries as Roger Linus, Carrie Preston as Emily, Doug Hutchison as Horace, Samantha Mathis as Olivia and Madeline Carroll as Annie.

"The Man Behind the Curtain" was written by Elizabeth Sarnoff & Drew Goddard and directed by Bobby Roth.

See the Best "Lost" Sites on the Web.

Traveling Wilburys reissue out June 12

Long out of print, the two Traveling Wilburys albums will be packaged together--with assorted extras--in deluxe and standard CD/DVD sets from Rhino Records June 12.

Click the links below to order either set.

Here are details from the press release:

Nearly twenty years after the creation of the band, and over a decade since the music was last available to fans, the music of The Traveling Wilburys will be reissued on June 12, 2007, in the U.S. and June 11, 2007, worldwide. Rhino Entertainment announced the project today and will distribute the package from the Wilbury Records label.

The previously released albums Traveling Wilburys Volume 1 and Traveling Wilburys Volume 3 feature inarguably some of music's greatest singer-songwriters -- George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and Bob Dylan -- as the iconic band The Traveling Wilburys. Both CDs will be combined into one release, The Traveling Wilburys Collection, and will feature bonus tracks of rare and newly mixed previously unreleased music along with a bonus DVD featuring a 24-minute documentary showing unseen footage of the Wilburys and their five video clips.

The Traveling Wilburys collectible packages will be available in four configurations. Each configuration is a remarkable commemoration of this unique group.

Standard Package - Features 2 CDs (Volumes 1 and 3) with bonus tracks, bonus DVD of content and a 16-page collectible book.

Deluxe Edition Set - Linen-bound deluxe edition features 2 CDs (Volumes 1 and 3) with bonus tracks, bonus DVD, and a 40-page collectible book with photos, original liner notes, new liner notes and a uniquely numbered certificate of authenticity.

In trying to explain how the Wilburys originally came together, George Harrison once said, "The thing about the Wilburys for me is -- if we'd tried to plan it, or if anybody had said, let's form this band and get these people in it -- it would never happen, it's impossible. It happened completely, just by magic, just by circumstance. Maybe there was a full moon that night or something like that. It was quite a magical little thing really."

The Traveling Wilburys BACKGROUND

The Traveling Wilburys was not a carefully planned band, not formed from deep premeditation. Rather, the band was created in a casual blending of genuine friends one ordinary afternoon, which turned out to be anything but ordinary.

George Harrison needed a B-side song to accompany a European single release from his widely regarded Cloud Nine album. While in Los Angeles, George approached Jeff Lynne for help with the B-side, since he had co-produced the album. It happened that Jeff was working with Roy Orbison on the upcoming Mystery Girl album. Roy readily agreed to lend a hand in the musical effort. As fate would luckily dictate, George's guitar was at Tom Petty's house, and he too offered to join in and make some music. When the group showed up to record, Dylan also lent a hand to help complete the half-finished song George had written. George has often been quoted as saying, "And so everybody was there and I thought, I'm not gonna just sing it myself, I've got Roy Orbison standing there. I'm gonna write a bit for Roy to sing. And then, as it progressed, then I started doing the vocals and I just thought I might as well push it a bit and get Tom and Bob to sing the bridge." The final result was a song called "Handle With Care." George later said, "I liked the song and the way that it turned out with all these people on it so much that I just carried it around in my pocket for ages thinking, Well what can I do with this thing? And the only thing to do I could think of was do another nine. Make an album."

The album they created was called the Traveling Wilburys Volume 1 -- a playful nod to the reality that subsequent volumes were unlikely. Volume 1 was released in October 1988 preceded by the single "Handle With Care." The album achieved wide critical acclaim, and most critics agreed that the music was so extraordinary because of the modest ambitions of the band, which translated to a fresh and relaxing sound. Rolling Stone Magazine instantly called it one of the Top 100 Albums of all time. The album also saw commercial success; it reached #3 on the Album charts, garnered double-platinum status and earned the group a Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group.

In 1990, following the unexpected death of Roy Orbison in December 1988, the remaining members reconvened to record Traveling Wilburys Volume 3, dedicating the album to Lefty (Roy) Wilbury. With Harrison and Lynne producing again, both "She's My Baby" and "Wilbury Twist" became radio hits as the album reached #11 in the U.S. and achieved Platinum success.

Track Listing:

Disc One
TRAVELING WILBURYS VOL. 1
--Handle With Care
--Dirty World
--Rattled
--Last Night
--Not Alone Any More
--Congratulations
--Heading For The Light
--Margarita
--Tweeter And The Monkey Man
--End Of The Line

Bonus Tracks:
--Maxine*
--Like A Ship*

Disc Two
DVD -- The True History Of The Traveling Wilburys
Music Videos:
--Handle With Care
--End Of The Line
--Inside Out
--She's My Baby
--Wilbury Twist

Disc Three
TRAVELING WILBURYS VOL. 3
--She's My Baby
--Inside Out
--If You Belonged To Me
--The Devil's Been Busy
--7 Deadly Sins
--Poor House
--Where Were You Last Night?
--Cool Dry Place
--New Blue Moon
--You Took My Breath Away
--Wilbury Twist

Bonus Tracks:

--Runaway (B-side to "She's My Baby" UK CD and 12")
--Nobody's Child (previously released on Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal)